IBPS PO syllabus

The IBPS PO prelims is a qualifying round only. Its marks do not count towards your final merit, and it has no General Awareness section. Candidates who prepare for prelims and mains as one syllabus lose time on banking awareness and the descriptive paper, which only appear in mains. The syllabus below separates the two stages so you can see what each one tests. Practise both under timed conditions with the IBPS PO mock tests.

Syllabus by section

IBPS PO at a glance

Exam pattern

Prelims (100 marks, 60 minutes, each section separately timed)

Mains (200 marks objective plus 25 marks descriptive)

Shortlisted candidates then face an interview of 100 marks. Final selection weights the mains score and interview score in the ratio 80 to 20.

How the pattern has changed

IBPS has kept the same broad structure across recent cycles: a three-section prelims with sectional timing, followed by a mains with a separate descriptive test. Sectional timing means you cannot bank spare minutes from English to spend on quant. Read each year's official notification before you finalise your plan, because question counts and marks per section can be revised.

Prelims syllabus

English Language

• Reading comprehension: passages of 300 to 500 words with inference, main idea, vocabulary-in-context and tone questions
• Cloze test: a passage with blanks tested on grammar and word choice
• Error spotting: subject-verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles and parallel structure
• Sentence improvement and para jumbles: replacing a phrase with the correct form and ordering jumbled sentences
• Fill in the blanks: single and double blank vocabulary and grammar items

The full English Language breakdown covers mains-only formats and the descriptive paper.

Quantitative Aptitude

• Arithmetic: percentages, ratio, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time speed and distance, mixtures
• Number series and simplification: missing and wrong number series, approximation, BODMAS-based calculation
• Quadratic equations: comparing the roots of two equations
• Data interpretation: tables, bar graphs, line graphs and pie charts

The full quantitative aptitude breakdown covers calculation speed and what is not asked.

Reasoning Ability

• Puzzles and seating arrangement: linear, circular and floor-based arrangements, scheduling and box puzzles
• Syllogism and inequalities: all, some and no statements with conclusions, coded inequalities
• Coding-decoding, blood relations and direction sense: letter, number and mixed codes, family trees, distance and direction
• Order and ranking, data sufficiency: position from either end, deciding whether the given statements answer the question

The full reasoning breakdown covers mains computer aptitude and multi-layer puzzles.

Mains syllabus

Reasoning and Computer Aptitude

• All prelims reasoning topics at higher difficulty, including multi-layered puzzles, input-output, logical reasoning and statement-based verbal reasoning
• Computer aptitude: computer fundamentals, hardware and software, operating systems, MS Office basics, networking and internet terms, database basics, cyber security and number systems

English Language

• Reading comprehension with longer and denser passages, cloze test, para jumbles, error spotting, fill in the blanks, para completion, connectors, word swap and column-based fillers

Data Analysis and Interpretation

• Tabular, bar, line, pie and caselet DI: questions that need several calculation steps
• Radar and mixed graphs, missing DI: charts with data to be inferred before use
• Arithmetic problems, quadratic equations, number series, data sufficiency: at mains level
• Approximation and simplification: calculation speed under sectional time

General, Economy and Banking Awareness

• Banking: RBI functions and policy tools, types of banks, payment systems, financial inclusion schemes, banking terms
• Economy: budget and fiscal policy, inflation, GDP and growth indicators, international financial bodies
• Current affairs: appointments, awards, summits, government schemes, new RBI and SEBI measures, from roughly the last six to eight months
• Static awareness: headquarters, capitals and currencies, important days, books and authors

Descriptive test

• Essay: a topic from banking, the economy, technology or social issues
• Comprehension: a passage answered in your own writing, not as an MCQ

What is not in the syllabus

• General Awareness in prelims
• Questions on advanced mathematics such as trigonometry, calculus or geometry beyond basic mensuration
• Subject-specific banking law at professional-exam depth
• Computer programming or coding
• Any optional or subject-choice paper

How to spend the time

Spend the first stretch on prelims quant and reasoning, because they are the sections that eliminate most candidates. Puzzles and seating arrangements take the most time per question, so practise them untimed first and then under the 20-minute sectional limit. English rewards daily reading more than last-minute study.

Start banking awareness and descriptive writing early, since both are mains-only and cannot be crammed. Read a financial newspaper or monthly current affairs digest, and type one timed essay and one comprehension answer every week once prelims preparation is stable.

Common mistakes

• Treating prelims marks as part of the final score
• Spending 30 minutes on one puzzle set and leaving the rest of reasoning untouched
• Ignoring the 0.25 negative marking and guessing across whole sections
• Skipping computer aptitude because it looks easy, then losing marks on terminology
• Leaving the descriptive test until after mains results of mock tests are in
• Preparing current affairs from a year-old compilation

IBPS PO against other bank exams

Frequently asked questions

Is the IBPS PO prelims score added to the final merit?

No. Prelims only decides who is shortlisted for mains. Final merit uses the mains and interview scores.

How many sections are there in IBPS PO prelims?

Three: English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning Ability. Each has its own 20-minute limit.

Is there negative marking in IBPS PO?

Yes. 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong objective answer in both prelims and mains. The descriptive test has no deduction.

Is General Awareness asked in prelims?

No. General, Economy and Banking Awareness appears only in mains.

Does the mains include a computer section?

Yes. Computer Aptitude is combined with Reasoning in a 45-question section.

What is the descriptive test in IBPS PO mains?

A 30-minute paper with an essay and a comprehension answer, worth 25 marks in total, typed on the keyboard. Letter writing has been dropped.

What is the eligibility for IBPS PO?

A graduate degree in any discipline and an age between 20 and 30 years, with relaxation for reserved categories.

How is the final selection decided?

Mains and interview scores are combined in the ratio 80 to 20. Prelims marks are not included.

Is the syllabus the same every year?

The broad structure has stayed stable, but IBPS publishes the pattern in each year's notification and can revise counts and marks.

Which section should I start with?

Reasoning and quantitative aptitude, since they carry the most marks in prelims and take the longest to build speed in.